The word perfume

The word perfume Introduction: History of Perfume The word perfume itself is derived from the Latin per fume, which means â€Å"through smoke†. Due to the fact that the original use of aromatic materials was of burning incense, as an offering to the gods.1 Aromatic materials have been used for a variety of different purposes over the past thousand years. Perfumes during this era largely consisted of uncharacterized aromatic compounds.2 Ancient Egyptians used such fragrant materials in many different forms. While it wasnt until the Crusades that perfumery became more knowledgeable, due to the increase in trade of spices which was a known ingredient in perfumes.1 However it wasnt until the 19th century when alchemy became more popular that perfumes began to evolve and change into its current state. The past 100 years has seen the rise of many perfumes that extensively use synthetic chemicals. The first example of the modern perfume was in 1882, Fougere Royale created by Paul Parquet, composed of many synthetic compounds.1 Throughout the next few decades major advancements in the structural characterization of aromatic compounds (with the use of gas chromatography and mass spectroscopy2) led to the creation of synthetic materials. Perfume industries of late use large amounts of synthetic ingredients in the perfume production compared to natural sources. Statistically out of 3000 fragrance ingredients, less than 5% come from natural sources.1 Section 1: Production of Perfume The components of perfume that provide the fragrance can be produced/extracted in 2 major ways. As mentioned above until 100 years ago perfumes used natural sources for use of fragrant chemicals, since then the compounds are synthesised artificially in laboratories. Methods of both production types are mentioned below. Natural Perfume Ingredients Natural sources vary from plants (lavender, jasmine etc.), fruits (lemon, orange etc.), and animals (musk from deers, ambergris from whales). The components that contribute to the smell of the above sources are produced using methods that fall into 3 basic techniques. Expression: simplest of the 3, only used for citrus oils, involves squeezing and compression of the material to obtain oil.3 Distillation: used in manufacture and extraction of essential oils in plants, steam is utilised to help release aromatic molecules from the material. The oils co-distil with the steam, causing the water to be separated (using a Florentine flask) and discarded from the oils. However in some cases the water can be distributed as â€Å"floral waters†, as they may contain certain fragrant qualities.1 Solvent Extraction: the most important and frequently used in modern perfumery. Typical solvents consist of combinations of petroleum ether, acetone, hexane and ethyl acetate and various others. This technique produces a concrete (resinoid) which can then either be distilled into an essential oil or extracted using ethanol to produce an absolute.1 However ethanol extraction cannot be used on plant materials as they contain water, which can be absorbed by ethanol. Therefore a new technique known as the ‘Superficial Fluid extraction is used where the solvent used is Supercritical CO2(carbon dioxide in its fluid state). This process is more successful in providing fragrant compounds with odour, that more closely resembles that of its raw material.3 On the other hand its is a very expensive process, due to the pressure and temperature required to keep CO2 in its liquid state.1 Synthetic Perfume Ingredients As organic chemistry began to develop, the fragrant chemicals involved in perfume began to gradually become synthetic. The first perfume to utilise new synthetic materials is known to be the popular Chanel No5 in 1921. It used aliphatic aldehydes for the first, which helped to create a rich jasmine ‘note for the perfume. One major reason that the perfume industry use synthetic compounds over the natural is because of its expense. It is much cheaper to produce the materials synthetically than extracting it by natural means. Structurally almost all fragrant molecules have stereocenters, any point in a molecule where interchanging of any two groups leads to a stereoisomer. 7 Due to this it becomes difficult to synthesise the particular isomer required for fragrance. In 1991 however a scientist known as Paquette synthesised a steroisomer of Ambrox, which is known to be an amber odorant.2 The isomer is (-)-9-epi-Ambrox. This was made possible due to the use of a method known as oxy-Cope rearrangement2 to isolate a single isomer. Process: The active species, the bicyclic ketone is treated with dihydrofuranyl lithium, producing 2. This product is then reacted with phenylselenyl chloride, producing the compound 3. The removal of the phenyl selenium group providing the double bond required, and then followed by alkylation with methyl iodide and LDA. Sodium borohydride (NaBH4) is then used to reduce the ketone molecule into an alcohol. Catalyst palladium utilised to reduce double bonds. This product is then dehydrolated to produce the desired (-)-9-epi-Ambrox.2 The above example of chemical rearrangement is one of the many process is used in the formation of synthetic fragrances. Determining the fragrant materials of perfumes requires analysis of its chemistry. This is done by the use of gas chromatography and mass spectroscopy. The use of analytical chemistry is also evident in the synthesis of perfume. These aromatic compounds that have either been extracted or synthesised are eventually formulated with other ingredients to produce the end product, Perfume. Formulation of Perfume Once the perfume oils are collected, they will be ready to be blended together. There may be as many as 800 different ingredients and take several years to formulate a special scent.5 Once the scent is created alcohol is mixed with it, this can dilute the scent of the perfume. Alcohols also evaporate quickly which allows the scent (top notes) to be released at a faster rate. The alcohol used in perfumery is ethanol and is odourless.5 Alcohols used in perfumes is usually denatured so that they are not marketed as alcohol rather than perfumes. This process is known as Blending. Section 2: ‘Notes on Perfume The term â€Å"notes† in perfumery means smell. The whole concept behind perfume is its fragrance. Notes are a descriptive form of the many layers of fragrances found in perfume. Perfumes usually consist of three notes: Top Notes: are responsible for the initial smell of perfumes. They normally consist of small, light molecules that evaporate quickly (with the help of alcohol), the most volatile compounds. Heart Notes: the smell that sets after the quick evaporation of the top notes. Forms the main aroma (hence known as ‘heart) of the perfume, has the ability to last several hours. Base Notes: expectantly the scent that appears after the exit of the heart notes. These are made of heavy, large compounds which evaporate the slowest. The long lasting scents of the base notes are very rich and deep, helping to sustain the effect of the perfume.6 Section 3: Physical aspects of Perfume The main physical aspect of perfume is its colour. Perfumes that have colours are found to be more attractive to the buyer. However not all perfumes are coloured, this is because manufacturers add compounds, compounds that reflect certain colours in light, into the perfume. For example: Section 4: Allergies caused by Perfumes Breathing problems, asthma and contact dermatitis (an itchy and inflamed skin rash) are typical reactions to fragrances. These irritations are known to be caused by the various mixes of chemicals in the perfume. Examples of the many allergenic fragrances include chemicals such as amylcinnamic alcohol, anisyl alcohol, benzyl alcohol, benzyl salicylate, even natural products such as clove oil, nutmeg oil, odor of rose and cinnamon oil. These can result in rashes or swelling on surfaces of hands, arms and face.9 The addition of alcohol in perfumes only increases the allergies/irritation to the skin. To prevent alcohol allergies it is possible to manufacture perfumes with perfume oils4 instead. Perfume oils other than preventing alcohol allergies can be less expensive to produce and in terms of fragrances allows the scent to last longer. To make perfume oil, carrier oil is required to substitute the alcohol and the water. Jojoba is an example of carrier oil, as it has a very long shelf life, no scent of its own and it is not greasy.4 Conclusive Summary: As the above discussion suggests, the manufacturing process of perfumes uses a vast array of chemistry. Organic and analytical chemistry being the most important fields involved in the chemistry of perfumes. With more research and understanding of the mechanisms involved in the mixture of the components. It can be possible to have perfumes with ingredients that are less volatile in the future.

Amusing Ourselves to Death Synthesis essay Essay

Synthesis Essay If a question was asked, any question, today’s automatic answer is to find the solution through technology. We’ve grown dependant on the ticking of clocks, the virtual world of the internet, and the convenience of our phones. A difficult concept for us to grasp, however, is merely thirty years ago most of these did not existed. So how has this affected our minds? Have we turned our brains into a living computer, or are we so dependent on outside answers that we’ve ceased thinking for ourselves? In today’s society we’ve entered a state of ignorant bliss about how little knowledge and wisdom we truly hold. Neil Postman (1984), the author of â€Å"Amusing Ourselves to Death† and an educator, tackled the now apparent fact that unlike George Orwell’s prediction that our rights to thinking would be ripped away, Aldous Huxley’s prediction that we will gladly hand them away voluntarily has become more and more true. Both Orwell and Huxl ey are English authors. (Postman, 1984) We allow our information to be fed to us by the television which trivializes it, and the internet which blends opinion and fact together so intricately that it is intermixed beyond comprehension. Yet we process this information, we build our thoughts and opinions around what the other misinformed populous insists is fact. But we are aware of the lies and incomplete facts out there, so when the truth does come out, it is unrecognizable. Nicholas Carr (2008) wonders of our ability to separate how we think and how a computer processes input in his article â€Å"Is Google Making Us Stupid?† He complains of a recent inability to pay attention to books for long periods of time. He blames this on receiving his information online in quick snippets, and reading novels has become a chore to him. Carr mentions Lewis Mumford, a cultural critic, who speaks of the invention of the clock. He degrades the clock, saying â€Å"In deciding when to eat, to work, to sleep, to rise, we stopped listening to our senses and started obeying the clock.† (Carr, 2008, p. 4) Is it true that we’ve handed over not only our minds, but our bodies to technology? We are becoming slaves to o thers to feed us the information we search, and to tell us how and when to do what instinct and Mother Nature had guided us to do for hundreds of thousands of years. And we’re paying the price. For thousands of years we’ve read and written books, which helped pass down wisdom to younger generations. Books created worlds we’ve never seen, they questioned our philosophical purpose, and they  answered it. From manuals to stories, books have been handed down as a collection of knowledge; but for the first time in millennia we’re raising entire generations who have never read a novel, short story or even a poem. David McCullough (2008), author of â€Å"The Love of Learning† defines for us the difference between facts and wisdom. Data is irrelevant until we have made the judgment to make it important and learn from it. We cannot memorize facts and call ourselves learned; we must look a layer deeper and find what the facts mean to us. â€Å"Learning is acquired mainly from books, and most readily from great books.† (McCullough, 2008, p. 2) Without books we are only being fed data, numbers and words without any true meaning. (McCullough, 2008) Our ability to understand and think about problems creates an ability to understand beyond the ordinary and think c omplexly on a situation. When told the rate of a bowling ball’s fall, and the opposing force of air fighting against gravity, we can think about this and then ask something that never came up, â€Å"Why did we drop the bowling ball? Will a ten pound fall faster than an eight pound bowling ball? And what if the ball were square?† Science is built on this foundation of thought, and with our technologies answering our questions – people have stopped asking the questions all together. In the article â€Å"O Americano, Outra Vez!† written by Richard P. Feynman, an American scientist and educator, the consequences of learning but never understanding concepts was made clear. In Brazil they taught physics as young as elementary school, however not a single student taught by Feynman in Brazil seemed to be able to comprehend what the words meant beyond just data. (Feynman, 1985) This inability to have opinions and questions over facts we learn impedes our ability to really understand what we learn. Because of the convenience of information today we’ve stopped asking if this needs verification. We’ve become lazy in our advancement, and expect that sort of work and authentication to be done by someone who we may say is â€Å"smarter than I†. What today’s society doesn’t seem to understand is that this attitude has stunted our growth as the human race, and we are reaching a stalemate of blissful ignorance, much as Huxley predicted. But this is not to say technology is the sole root of our decreasing intelligence. The blame lies namely in our attitude towards the world of information that lies in our gadgets. Rather than utilizing this sort of resource as a layer of foundation to go beyond in discovery in a way that  was impossible before, we let the endless array of data sit there only to be utilized at our discretion, which is not often. This state of unintelligence is not incurable, and perhaps turning to the root of knowledge and wisdom that has accumulated over our history, otherwise known as books, can turn around our ability to simply think . A book has the amazing capability to let us read in between the lines, and gives us the ability to absorb information much more efficiently than this â€Å"skimming† we find ourselves doing when facing screens. We engage our minds when reading a book, and discover new ideas in every novel, short story and poem. And maybe all we need is to reawaken this amazing brain power we have long forgotten to use the information our technology hands us to the best of our ability. Our brain retains a wonderful ability to maintain enormous amount of information, and however much knowledge we may lack we can always remedy this by settling down with a good book. While our computers, phones, and television and provide an almost endless stream of pure data to us, we must learn how to properly utilize this information to the best of our benefit. We can choose to think logically with the knowledge handed to us, and to continue our growth. The world can carry on its advancements to improve the lives of all that inhabit it, but only if the individual continues progressing. William J. Perry, Jr. (1970) said it best in his article â€Å"Examsmanship and the Liberal Arts† when he defined the words bull and cow. Bull is information that has relevancies but have minimal to no data to back it up, and cow has data but no relevancies. (Perry, 1970) Our technology is full of cow, and our minds are full of bull. Once we can find a way to combine these forces, we will never stop progressing. Perry (1970) summed the dangers of a chronic â€Å"cow†, â€Å"These are delicate matters. As for cow, its complexities are not what need concern us. Unlike good bull, it does not represent partial knowledge at all. It belongs to a different theory of knowledge entirely. In our theories of knowledge it represents total ignorance, or worse yet, a knowledge downright inimical to understanding. I even go so far as to propose that w e award no more C’s for cow. To do so is rarely, I feel, the act of mercy it seems. Mercy lies in clarity.† (p. 8) Perry is arguing we must first become aware of and recognizing cow, and to correct it upon sight. This requires we learn to learn, which means we should delve our minds into books and others personal wisdom and experience. In only this  method can we expand our own minds and become aware of cow, or bull, and teach ourselves to think beyond what is given to us. We learn to analyze and experiment, and in this manner we can progress into a better future – not only for ourselves, but for future generations. WORK CITED Carr, Nicholas. (2008). Is Google Making Us Stupid? [PDF document]. Retrieved from: https://byui.brainhoney.com/Frame/Component/CoursePlayer?enrollmentid=1491373 Feynman, Richard. (1985). O Americano, Outra Vez! [PDF document]. Retrieved from: https://byui.brainhoney.com/Frame/Component/CoursePlayer?enrollmentid=1491373 McCullough, David. (2008). The Love of Learning [PDF document]. Retrieved from: https://byui.brainhoney.com/Frame/Component/CoursePlayer?enrollmentid=1491373 Perry, William. (1970). Examsmanship and the Liberal Arts [PDF document]. Retrieved from https://byui.brainhoney.com/Frame/Component/CoursePlayer?enrollmentid=1491373 Postman, Neil. (1984). Amusing Ourselves to Death [PDF document]. Retrieved from https://byui.brainhoney.com/Frame/Component/CoursePlayer?enrollmentid=1491373

Anti-doping Measures and Technology Advancement

Many athletes and sportsmen and women in the world have at one time or another toyed with the idea of using performance enhancing drugs in order to maximize their chances of winning in the competitions (Houlihan, 2002).The use of these drugs is often referred to as doping. It is unethical as it gives users advantages over other athletes who are not using the drugs thus lack of equality in the competition. Apart from this, they pose a serious threat to the health of the users.Examples include steroids, testosterone, strychnine, Benzedrine, erythropoietin among others. Adding to the list of doping are technology techniques such as gene modification and ionized shirts, tough these shirts have not yet been classified in the doping list. Performance enhancing drugs have for a long time been a major concern to sports organizers who have constantly tried to stop the habit. Doping has existed in the sports world for as long as possible.According to Dimeo (2007), the first performance enhanci ng substances were used as early as 1807. However most were herbs and liquids that were eaten or drunk. The first real use of performance enhancers were seen in 1904 in the Olympics.However formal doping tests only started in the late 1960s when sports organizations saw the need to place an equal platform for all athletes to ensure fair competition. Performance enhancers were banned from the Olympics in 1968 by the International Olympic committee (IOC).The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) was formed in November 1991 led by IOC to promote the fight against use of drugs in sports. It aimed at promoting the fight through coordination from other stakeholders in the world. In 2004, the World Anti-Doping Code was implemented by various sports organizations making rules and regulations governing sports to be unified in many countries just before the Olympic game in Athens, Greece.Currently, over two hundred countries are signatories of the WADA Code. WADA communicates its rules about perfor mance enhancing drugs and penalties using the prohibited list which is updated every year to cater for any changes and new discoveries (David, 2008).DiscussionThe progress in technology and pharmacology has always caused a threat to these organizations' ability to cope with drugs in sports. Manufacturers have been so crafty when making performance enhancing drugs that methods and apparatus used to test for drugs among athletes seem to miss out on some drugs in the sportsmen.According to Tansey (2008) of the San Francisco Chronicle, sports doping detection is an ever ending science which has to keep on being updated. Traditionally, urine samples were used to detect illegal samples in sportsmen.Steroid dopers have always remained ahead of the anti-doping organizations as they keep inventing new designer steroids that are more difficult to detect using the current technologies available in WADA and other organizations. Use of synthetic growth hormones which are hard to differentiate fr om natural growth hormones has not helped in the anti-doping campaigns.The most recent technology in performance enhancing is the ionized shirts known as ionX developed in New Zealand. These shirts are made of fabrics containing negative ions which are believed to improve performance when ionization takes place after contact with the body. Ionized shirts have not been classified as doping and investigations are still being carried out to determine the chemistry behind them.The Speedo LZR racer swimsuits are said to be a form of technological doping. It came as a surprise when thirty eight world records were set within months of Speedo's introduction of their swimsuits. It was also said that remarkably average swimmers displayed higher speeds than would be expected.Gene doping is another technology where athletes and other sportsmen and women use genetic modification in order to enhance their performance.Also known as genetic engineering, this is a technique where genes are inserted into cells to produce certain defects such as correction of genetic errors. In athletics genes are modified to alter the functioning of the cells such that the genes inserted help the athlete perform better (Tamburrini and Tannsjo, 2005).This usually happens in terms of enhanced muscle developments. Gene modification was added to the list of prohibited methods and substances by the International Olympic Committee. However, technology required to perform tests of determining genetic modification in athletes are quite complex. WADA is still doing more research to fight this advanced doping method.

National Institutes of Health - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 2 Words: 552 Downloads: 2 Date added: 2019/03/22 Category Health Essay Level High school Tags: Obesity Essay Obesity in America Essay Did you like this example? Abstract Did you know that approximately 31 percent of men and 35 percent of women are considered overweight in America, according to the U.S. Surgeon General? In other words, approximately a third of the adults in America are struggling with obesity! Obesity is a serious and dangerous problem that Americans have to constantly deal with every day. Dangerous effects on physical health, declining mental health, and steady rises in medical expenses are just a few of the problematic struggles that come with obesity. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "National Institutes of Health" essay for you Create order Obesity has had a detrimental influence on the physical health of Americans in the past years. As stated by the National Institutes of Health, the second leading cause of preventable deaths in the United States is obesity, with an estimated 300,000 deaths per year. Heart disease and strokes, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, pregnancy problems, and kidney disease are some of the health risks that come with having excess weight, to name a few. Another fatal health issue that comes from being overweight is cancer, including gallbladder, kidney, colon and rectum, and breast cancer. Mental health is another factor that can be significantly affected by obesity. Many Americans who wrestle with being overweight or obese, also struggle with eating disorders, depression, low self-esteem, and distorted body image. Recent studies show that among patients with PTSD, 32.6% of them were obese. Also, depression contributes to a lower success of weight loss for obese Americans. When people with a larger body are criticized by other people, it causes the victim to gain low self-esteem which can cause the person to resort to drugs or suicide. The pressure of having to conform to an impractical level of beauty can force people with obesity into anorexia or bulimia, which causes them to not eat enough calories and vital nutrients. The root of obese peoples mental health comes from the judgement, criticism, and insults that come from the world, making them feel insecure. Lastly, obesity has had an immense impact on the economy and families of the obese. In 2006, obesity was responsible for nearly 10 percent of the United States medical costs, approximately $86 billion per year. Also, in 2006, Finkelstein and colleagues found that per capita, medical spendings for obese individuals was an additional $1,429. Healthcare costs for people of normal weight are 37% lower compared to the more expensive medical bills of people who are overweight. Obesity accounted for 10.6% of Medicaid costs and 6.8% of Medicare costs, totaling $21.3 billion. Obesity has impacted individual families tremendously too. Many families struggle to pay for the medical expenses of the obese patient, especially if they dont have insurance. However, there are several ways to improve obesity in America. One way is to simply persuade and encourage those who are obese to overcome the excess weight and lose it. Another way is to change the way foods are marketed towards Americans by making healthy foods less expensive and stop making advertisements for junk food as enticing. The final way to prevent obesity is to start educating and promoting children to make better choices on how they eat and spend their time. By doing all of these things, people can help lower the percentage of obese people in America. America would become a healthier place by reducing the amount of people that struggle with the mental health, physical health, and financial problems that come with obesity.